


The Fun One

by things_that_matter



Series: CMBYN: Life with Ollie [31]
Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017), Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types, Call Me by Your Name - André Aciman
Genre: Camping, Comfort, Discipline, Domestic Fluff, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Punishment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:21:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29157315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/things_that_matter/pseuds/things_that_matter
Summary: Oliver secretly desires to be the "fun one" for a change. He finally gets his chance, but can he pull it off?
Relationships: Oliver/Elio Perlman
Series: CMBYN: Life with Ollie [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2094873
Comments: 10
Kudos: 19





	The Fun One

Elio was packing his backpack, feeling lonely even though the person he loved most in the world was in the room helping him. He wondered how that was possible, but decided his heart was merely practicing for the days ahead. 

“Did you pack your charger?” Oliver asked.

“Yes,” Elio answered quietly. 

After a few moments in which no one said anything, Oliver broke the silence again. “Did you pack a jacket? It’ll get cool at night,” he asked.

Elio smiled at him, then nodded. 

Oliver nodded, too, and Elio was surprised at how gloomy Oliver looked. 

After he’d zipped his backpack, Elio walked over and leaned against Oliver’s chest and felt Oliver’s arms immediately wrap around him. “Maybe I shouldn’t go,” Elio said. He was being sincere, but he knew what Oliver would say. 

“Don’t even think that way, Elio. This is such an amazing opportunity,” Oliver said. Elio had been invited to travel to Boston to perform with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Oliver sometimes felt a pang of sorrow at Elio’s life. Elio was a great pianist, but when Ollie had come to live with them, Elio’s life changed dramatically. All of his former ambitions were put on hold. All of his priorities shifted overnight. Now he gave piano lessons, and took graduate classes. One day, he’d probably teach college like Oliver. But, Elio was too talented for that life, Oliver thought sadly. As for Elio, though, he had never once complained. In fact, Oliver was not certain whether Elio felt the sorrow and regret that he himself sometimes felt on Elio’s behalf. Even though he would miss him, Oliver was happy that Elio had gotten this opportunity to fill in when the regular pianist had injured her hand. 

“Are you sure you don’t mind taking care of Ollie?” Elio asked, pulling Oliver from his thoughts. 

“Of course not, Elio. I think I love Ollie as much as you do,” Oliver assured. He said it in a playful tone, but in fact he meant it. He knew that Elio and Ollie had a blood connection that he could never share, but Oliver couldn’t imagine anyone, anywhere, at any time, loving any child more than he loved Ollie. 

As the little family headed to the airport to drop off Elio, the mood was somber. As they approached the airport, Elio turned in his seat so that he could see Ollie, who was looking out the window mournfully. 

“You going to be okay?” Elio asked. He held his breath hoping that Ollie would say yes, because what would he do if Ollie said no? 

Ollie turned his head toward Elio and nodded. That was the best he could do. 

“You will have Oliver all to yourself, are you excited?” Elio asked, trying to brighten the mood. 

“Yeah,” Ollie muttered. 

“I’m sure you two will have fun,” Elio said encouragingly. 

Ollie sadly shrugged. He hated for Elio or Oliver to be away even for an evening, much less several days. 

They were in the drop off area now, and Elio suddenly felt paralyzed. _This was all a mistake_ , he thought. But Oliver, sensing Elio’s mood as he was always able to do so well, leaned over and kissed him. “We are so proud of you. Aren’t we, Ollie?” he said, smiling. 

“Yeah,” Ollie said, and there was a sincerity in his voice that comforted Elio.

They all exited the car long enough to get Elio situated with his backpack and tickets, long enough to exchange goodbye hugs and kisses. 

Oliver was careful not to let this drag on too long, knowing it would only make things harder for them all, so as soon as the goodbyes were said, he opened the car door and lifted Ollie in before he could protest, gave Elio one last hug, and then he got into the car and drove off. Oliver heard Ollie sniffling as he watched Elio grow smaller and smaller in his rear-view mirror, until he disappeared altogether. Oliver felt that his own heart had done the same. 

Oliver turned his thoughts to Ollie then, and he felt better. He had taken off of work, something he never did. He rarely even took a sick day. They could have let Ollie stay with Danny’s family, but Oliver wanted to spend some time with Ollie. A few months prior, Oliver had taken a business trip, and Ollie and Elio had a really fun time together. Sometimes Oliver thought that he and Elio had defined roles in the family. Elio was the fun one, and he was the strict one. The serious one. The...unfun… one. Oliver didn’t mind his role raising Ollie. But, just this once, he had a secret desire to be the fun one. Just for a few days. 

“So, Ollie, what should we do while Elio is away?” Oliver asked. He was hoping that Ollie might have some ideas, because he was suddenly realizing with almost a sense of panic that he didn't really know how to be the fun one. 

Ollie wrinkled his nose, cast his eyes upward, and tapped his chin in the thoughtful posture that Oliver loved so much on both Ollie and Elio. 

“Well, can we still have TV night?” Ollie asked hopefully. Oliver cringed a bit, realizing that Ollie considered him the grumpy one who hated TV night. Ollie was just hoping he wouldn’t take TV night away; that was Ollie’s idea of fun with Oliver. 

“Sure,” Oliver said. “But, I’m talking about some really fun things. Can you think of anything really fun you’ve been wanting to do?” 

“I dunno,” Ollie replied. Oliver was beginning to feel his heart sink. This was a horrible idea. 

When they arrived home, Oliver asked, “Do you want to build a fort?” He knew that was something that Ollie and Elio had done, and Ollie still talked about how fun it had been. 

But, Ollie didn’t seem too excited about it now. “I guess. If _you_ want to,” he answered. 

“Let’s build one,” Oliver finally said, trying to sound enthusiastic. 

“Okay,” Ollie said, as he walked toward the closet and started dragging out all of the blankets and sheets. 

After over an hour of trying, both Ollie and Oliver were ready to give up on the fort. They sat on the sofa, staring in awe at the utterly fort-less mess they’d made of the living room. 

“I guess only Elio can make forts,” Ollie said. But, he wasn’t pouting. He was just stating a fact. 

Oliver felt like a failure in that moment. He could never be the fun one. At least not when compared to Elio. So, he started thinking about what he could do…. Something that Elio _wouldn’t_ do… 

“Hey, Ollie, do you want to watch Supernatural?” Oliver asked, trying to sound nonchalant. 

Ollie looked skeptical. “Elio doesn’t let me watch that anymore,” Ollie reminded. 

“Well, he’s not here,” Oliver said, smiling mischievously. 

“I don’t know,” Ollie was thinking it over. 

“I’ll go make popcorn, you pull up Netflix,” Oliver instructed. How could Ollie say no? 

By the end of the intro, before the opening credits had even begun, Oliver had a frightened, trembling Ollie on his lap. Oliver felt guilty. He hadn't been home when Elio and Ollie watched Supernatural, so he didn’t realize how scary it would be for Ollie. Yet, he couldn’t make him turn it off, or he’d be the mean one that made them turn off the show. So, they spent most of the show with Ollie on Oliver’s lap with a blanket pulled all the way over his head, jumping every time the music changed even though he couldn’t see what was going on.

Oliver had never been so happy for a show to end in his life. He sent a silent apology to Elio, understanding now why Elio had banned it. 

He had to lay in Ollie’s bed with him until he fell asleep that night. Once Ollie was completely asleep, Oliver went to his own bed and laid perfectly still and quiet. His bed was so lonely without Elio. Even if Elio were sleeping, Oliver would at least feel his weight on the other side of the bed. He could at least roll up behind him and hold him. He could at least listen to him breathe. Oliver laid in bed for hours, awake, missing Elio. His mind was busy with what to do about Ollie. He shouldn’t have taken off work. It was just going to give him more time to disappoint Ollie. He needed to accept the facts. Elio was the fun one, he was the boring one. Elio was the silly one, he was the strict one. Elio was the gentle one, he was the…

His thoughts were interrupted by a tiny voice in the doorway. “Oliver?” Ollie asked. 

“You okay?” Oliver asked in return, immediately concerned.

“I’m scared,” Ollie whispered. 

“I’m sorry, Ollie,” Oliver apologized, feeling even more guilty. “Come here,” Oliver said, moving over. Ollie ran over and jumped into bed beside him. 

“Can I sleep in here all night?” Ollie asked. 

“Sure. Just for tonight though,” Oliver answered. 

Ollie nodded and laid his head down. Oliver rubbed his back for a few minutes, and was surprised by how quickly his breathing changed, indicating that he'd fallen asleep.

Finally, Oliver was able to sleep, too. 

The next morning, Oliver was jolted awake by the unpleasant sensation of two small, extremely cold feet coming to rest on his warm back. He turned over to check on Ollie, who was still asleep. He didn’t look cold, and Oliver wondered how his feet could possibly be the icicles they were. He got up quietly and found some warm socks, but as he was sliding them on, Ollie woke up giggling. 

“You tickled me,” he giggled, pulling his foot away. 

“Your feet are freezing,” Oliver said, slipping the socks on despite the fit of giggles Ollie was producing. 

“Are you cold?” Oliver asked, having gotten the socks on and laying back down beside Ollie. 

“Not too much,” Ollie answered, yawning. 

Oliver wrapped a warm arm around him, and they fell asleep again. 

After breakfast, Oliver began his quest again. His resolve had returned. He could be the fun one, just for a few days. “So Ollie, should we try to build a fort again?” Oliver asked. He got the idea that they could look on YouTube to find out how to build one. 

But, Ollie shook his head. “No, it’s okay.” 

Just like that, his resolve was gone. Oliver was disappointed. He didn’t know what made him think he could keep Ollie happy and entertained without Elio. Oliver was only good for was making and enforcing rules. He would never be the fun one. He felt stupid for ever getting this notion in his head to begin with. 

Giving up completely, he said the most Oliver thing he could have possibly said, “Well, let’s go clean the garage.” They may as well make themselves useful, Oliver decided. 

They had been working on the garage for over an hour when Elio called. Oliver gave Ollie a sorting task to keep him busy so that he could go inside and talk to Elio. 

Elio chattered on for 15 minutes about how exciting everything was. He reminded Oliver so much of Ollie when he was excited about something. Elio reported that he was doing well in rehearsals, and was feeling more confident all the time. 

“Are you and Ollie having fun?” Elio asked after he had finished telling Oliver all about his experience thus far. 

“Not really,” Oliver answered. 

Elio could hear the sadness in Oliver’s voice. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Is Ollie not behaving?” Elio wanted to know. 

“No, he’s behaving fine, I’m just not the fun one,” Oliver said, trying not to reveal how upset this made him feel. 

But, he couldn’t hide his feelings from Elio. Elio always saw him exactly how he was at any given moment. “Did Ollie tell you that?” Elio finally asked, feeling angry that Ollie had hurt Oliver's feelings.

“No, no... he didn’t have to tell me,” Oliver explained. 

“Well what happened?” Elio asked. 

“Well, we discovered that I can’t make a fort. We spent over an hour last night and all we made was a mess. And then, to try to make up for that failure, I decided to let Ollie watch Supernatural,” Oliver answered. 

“NOOOOOoooo,” Elio groaned. He sounded truly injured. “Oliver, WHYYYYY?” he asked, laughing. 

“I don’t know,” Oliver said, smiling. It was a sad smile. “I know he had so much fun with you when I was gone, and I just wanted to have fun with him, too. But I’m not the fun one.” 

“Oliver,” Elio began. “You are so fun! We have fun all the time together.” 

“You and I do, but not Ollie and me,” Oliver realized that he sounded like a sulking child, and was suddenly embarrassed. “Listen, I’m going to go. We’re cleaning out the garage.” 

Elio sighed and shook his head, though of course Oliver couldn’t see it. 

“I love you,” Elio told him. And Oliver wanted to cry. Because he loved and missed Elio so much. And because he loved Ollie so much, but he was such a failure as a parent. _Oliver, how could you have ever thought you could do this_ , he rebuked himself. 

“I love you, too,” he finally said. “I’ll get Ollie for you.” 

Oliver walked back out to the garage and handed Ollie the phone. “It’s your brother,” Oliver said, and watched Ollie’s face light up.  
“ELIO!!” Ollie squealed into the phone. 

He wished Ollie would go inside so he wouldn’t have to listen to how much he missed Elio and how boring things were with Oliver. How Oliver was making him clean the garage. Thinking he just couldn’t listen to anymore of this, he got up to go inside himself. But then, he heard something that surprised him. 

“Me and Oliver are having so much fun!” Ollie said excitedly. 

Pause.

“Well, first we got out every single blanket and sheet out of the closet and we made the biggest mess in the living room! It was even a worse mess than me and you made!!” he explained. “And then we couldn’t make the fort stay up! It was so funny! We tried like 50 things and guess what?” 

Pause. 

“Oliver and me watched Supernatural! And after that I got to sleep in your bed almost the entire night!! And now we are cleaning out the garage and I found so much cool stuff!” Ollie chattered on, sounding for all the world like Elio had earlier when talking about his trip. 

Pause.

“Well I gotta go, Elio!! Me and Oliver are busy!” 

Ollie was beaming when he handed Oliver his phone back, but then his smile fell all at once. “Oliver, what’s wrong?” Ollie asked, looking concerned. 

Oliver shook his head. “Nothing, why?” he asked. 

“Something’s wrong. You’re crying!” Ollie said, looking like he might cry himself.

“No I’m not!” Oliver argued, reaching up to rub his eyes. “They are just watering a little because I forgot to blink for a while. Everyone’s eyes water if they don’t blink for a while.”

“You’re _crying_ ,” Ollie insisted, running over and hugging Oliver. 

Oliver reached down and picked him up. 

“I’m just happy,” Oliver admitted. 

“Why?” Ollie asked. 

“I thought you weren’t having fun,” Oliver explained. 

Ollie looked confused. He’d been having the best time of his life. “Everything is fun when you're around,” Ollie said sincerely. “You make everything fun. Even cleaning the garage is fun when it’s with you.” 

Oliver squeezed Ollie, making him giggle. “I thought everything was fun with Elio?” he asked, smiling.

Ollie nodded. “Yeah. Everything is fun with Elio and you.” 

Oliver kissed Ollie noisily on the cheek. Ollie jerked his head away, giggling again. Oliver leaned down and blew a raspberry onto Ollie’s now exposed neck, making him giggle wildly and struggle to get down. Oliver placed him gently on his feet.

“Show me what you found. I heard you telling Elio you found something cool,” Oliver explained. Ollie ran over to the boxes that stored Oliver's camping gear. Oliver used to love camping when he was younger, but Elio didn’t like it. Elio loved being outside, but he wanted to be back in his own bed or the bed of a nice hotel at the end of the day. So, Oliver hadn’t camped in a long time. 

“Come with me, I’ll show you how to use this stuff,” Oliver said as he carried the tent to the backyard. 

That night, Oliver taught Ollie how to pitch a tent, how to use the little camp stove, and how to make shadow puppets on the tent wall with flashlights. They took turns telling spooky ghost stories, and then finally slept the deep, dreamless sleep that one can only experience when sleeping outside surrounded by the sounds of summer, knowing you are, after all, the fun one. 


End file.
